


Not what you think

by DarkangelLolo



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Kidnapping, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 18:45:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15914097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkangelLolo/pseuds/DarkangelLolo
Summary: When Nick kidnapped Archie, he thought he was taking Veronica's boyfriend. A different take on 2x19





	1. Chapter 1

Nick hung up the phone with a smirk. He turned towards Archie, the boy still struggling in the chair. His associates held him down.  
"Well, Archie, we've got some time to kill."  
Archie glared at him. Nick smirked.  
"I think we should make you more comfortable, don't you?"  
He took off his jacket before rearing his fist back and hitting Archie. Archie's head flew to the side. He'd barely turned back before another hit came. His mind felt slow, taking a few seconds to register that they were undoing his bonds. He fought again, almost throwing one of the lackeys off. Then he felt his wrist snap.  
His cry was muffled through the gag. Archie didn't stop fighting though. Nick chuckled.  
"Keep fighting, Archie. We're nowhere near done."  
Archie's arm was twisted behind his back. They dislocated his shoulder and broke his arm in less than ten seconds. Archie stopped moving, squeezing his eyes shut. Nick's goons marched him forward, putting pressure on his arm and shoulder to keep him in line. He found his wrists being tied together over his head, sending more shooting pain up his left arm. They'd only hurt one arm, leaving the other intact, for now.  
Nick was in front of him again, giving him that stupid smirk. Archie tried to glare back, but it quickly turned to a grimace.  
"Do you know how much trouble you and your friends have made for me? Josie, Cheryl, Veronica, you. I'm going to make you pay for all of it. And then your girlfriend will find your dead body. After I get my money, of course."  
Archie squeezed his eyes shut.  
Betty. He had to hold on for Betty. Ronnie would have called Jug by now, and he'd tell Betty. He opened his eyes again, focusing on Nick. Nick had pulled out a duffel bag, emptying it on the table. Archie took in a shaky breath as he saw his future. There were knives, chains, lighters, a baseball bat, a taser and brass knuckles. Nick picked up the knuckles.  
"Let's start easy. We want this to last as long as possible, don't we?"  
Archie braced himself for the first blow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Veronica glared at her parents before storming out of the room. She had pressed Jughead's speed dial before she even registered doing so.  
"Hey R-"  
"Archie's been kidnapped."  
"What?!?"  
"Nick St. Clair just called me from Archie's phone. He wants a million dollars as ransom, and my parents won't pay it!"  
Veronica was crying as she spoke.  
"Meet me at my trailer."  
"I- I need to call Betty."  
"Bring her with you."  
Veronica nodded, hanging up. She pulled up Betty's number. The phone had barely begun to ring before Betty picked up with a chipper "Hi V."  
"Arch-Archie's been kidnapped by Nick St. Clair."  
She heard the phone drop.  
"Betty? Betty!"  
"I- I'm here."  
Betty's voice got louder as she brought the phone back to her ear.  
" I-what- why? Why'd he take Archie?"  
Her voice was shaking.  
"Revenge against me probably. Jug wants us to meet him at his trailer. We're going to find him, B."  
Veronica wished her voice had sounded stronger in her last statement.  
"Did he ask for a ransom?"  
"A million dollars. My parents won't give me the money."  
A small sob came from the other side of the phone.  
"We'll find a way. I can ask Cheryl for the money. And Jug and the Serpents will be out on the streets searching for him. We're not going to lose him!"  
Her voice was steady this time.  
"I'll come pick you up."  
She grabbed her purse, waiting until she was in her car before calling one last person.  
"V. What's up?"  
"Archie's been kidnapped, and my parents won't pay the ransom, and Nick is going to hurt him, and I'm freaking out and-"  
"Slow down, baby. Archie was kidnapped by Nick? Nick St. Clair?!"  
"And I can't pay the ransom. My parents won't give me the money!"  
"How much?"  
Veronica let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.  
"A million."  
"I'll take care of that. Where are you?"  
"Driving to Jughead's. I'm picking up Betty first."  
"Give me a half hour to get the money."  
"He wants it in-"  
Veronica looked at her watch.  
"45 minutes now."  
"Don't worry baby, Archie is strong. He'll hold on for us. I'll be there soon."  
Ronnie nodded to herself, trying to steady her breathing.  
"Cheryl?"  
"I'm here."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Archie screamed into the gag as the baseball bat made contact with his leg. His head hung down, his breathing erratic. By now he had at least three broken ribs as well as his broken arm and wrist. Bruises covered his torso, and his shirt lay in pieces on the ground. Nick had been "kind" enough to cut it off his body.  
"Archie, Archie, Archie."  
Nick used the baseball bat to lift Archie's chin up. Archie's eyes met his for a second before squeezing them shut.  
"Don't pass out on me now. We've only just begun."  
Archie swallowed thickly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Betty paced back and forth before the couch. Veronica sat with her leg bouncing at an insane rate. Jughead was in the kitchen on the phone with some of the Serpents. They'd all been in their respective positions for almost a half hour, waiting for Cheryl to show up with the money, or the Serpents to find Archie, whichever came first.

There was a knock on the door. Veronica leapt up and practically flung the door open. She was hugging Cheryl before the girl had a chance to step inside. Cheryl dropped the duffel bag as she hugged Ronnie back. They shared a brief kiss before Cheryl picked up the bag and shut the door behind her.  
"I've got it all. One million. Where does he want you to leave the money."  
"We're meeting at Pop's at 7."  
"Any luck finding him, Jughead?"  
Jughead sighed.  
"We know he's got a couple of hired hands with him, but nothing on his location."  
Betty shook, tears rolling down her cheeks. Ronnie was quick to hug her, letting Betty sob into her shoulder for a moment. Betty straightened up and wiped the tears from her eyes, taking a steadying breath.  
"Thank you, Cheryl."  
Her voice almost broke as she spoke. Cheryl nodded.  
"So, how are we going to play this? Who's going with you to the drop?"  
Veronica sat down.  
"No one. He said I have to go alone."  
"You can't just walk in there alone! What if he has goons with him?!"  
Jughead spoke up.  
"He only has two men with him. We know that for sure. They'll need both of them to watch Archie while you meet up. This sicko thinks he can handle girls without backup. Sweet Pea and Toni are already outside Pop's. They're going to follow Nick back to his hideout."  
"NO! It's too dangerous! He'll see them and have his men kill Archie!! You can't, we can't, I can't lose him, Jug."  
Betty was barely keeping herself together.  
"He won't notice them, Betty. They're by the dumpster, ready to make out if anyone looks their way. It's going to look natural. Nick doesn't know that you're friends with the Serpents."  
He came out of the kitchen to put his hands on her shoulders.  
"We are not losing Archie. I won't let that happen. You will have your wedding in two years, just like you've been planning. You matter way too much to Archie for him to let a little kidnapping separate you for good. Hell, he'd survive anything for you."


	3. Chapter 3

Nick smirked at the limp body of Archie. The boy was still awake, barely. He set down the knife, admiring his handiwork. Archie had a deep cut running across his stomach. It had been cut slowly, inch by inch. The top layer of skin on his left shoulder had been removed, blood running down Archie's back. There were small burns littered across his chest and bruises coated almost every inch of skin. Nick circled him, feeling even more satisfaction when he saw Archie's back. Archie had black bruises and bleeding welts covering the whole of his back. They started at his shoulders and went all the way down his legs. Nick could see the blood soaking into his jeans.  
"Well, we're going to have to take a little break. I've got a million dollars to collect. Don't worry, I'll give Veronica your regards."  
Nick pulled out a handkerchief, swiping it across Archie's shoulder. Archie winced.  
"She'll probably want to know how you're doing. This should be sufficient."  
With a smirk Nick left. One of his goons sat in a chair near Archie. The other was off who knows where in the building.  
Archie tried to put his weight on his legs again, giving up after two unsuccessful attempts. He briefly glanced at the other man. The goon sat there on his phone, clearly enjoying himself. Archie let out a ragged breath and tried to move his wrists slightly. That caused another wince and got him nowhere. Archie stilled. Waiting for rescue seemed like the only option right now.   
He closed his eyes, focusing on his memories of when he woke up in this place. There was the exit that Nick had taken. Another was at the top of the stairs. Nick's exit door was at least 300 feet to the right. His legs couldn't hold him now; making it that far was impossible. Plus, his wrists were securely tied and he had no means of cutting the rope. If he could get loose then getting the man's phone would be the best way to go. 

Archie glanced at him again. The man was clearly fit, and had easy access to the array of torture instruments that Nick had been using on him. There was no way he could take him down in his current state. His vision was a little blurry around the edges. Archie wanted to pass out, but the thought of getting back to Betty kept him going. He needed to find some way out of this. He couldn't leave her.

Jughead had Serpents out looking for him. He and Jug were brothers in all but blood, and Jug would use any resource possible to look for him. He'd be watching over Betty too. That was the most important thing to Archie. If Nick St. Clair decided to go after Betty… Luckily the twisted man was too obsessed with hurting Ronnie through him. He hoped Ronnie knew this wasn't her fault. Cheryl had better be taking care of Ronnie. Veronica needed her. They'd been a couple for three months now and he'd never seen Ronnie happier than she was with Cheryl. 

Then there was him and Betty. Archie and Betty had been dating for almost two years. They'd hidden it from the start. Betty's mom didn't think he was good enough for her. Archie agreed of course, but Betty still wanted him. The whole welcome back dance had been a staged fiasco. Some people were starting to get suspicious, and they didn't want word getting back to Mrs. Cooper. She had to be the most controlling mother ever. She'd threatened Betty with an all-girls boarding school when Betty was ten. All because Betty had slept over at Archie's. It didn't matter that Jughead was there too, or that Archie's dad was in the room with them the whole time. Their biggest fear was her following through on that. Especially since she had sent Polly to the Sisters of Mercy. Polly had to break out of there for Mrs. Cooper to see reason.

Archie gasped as a little more of his weight fell on his left wrist. He tried to distract himself with thoughts of these last few months. Veronica and Cheryl had become a couple two months after school had started. Their families were practically at each others' throats though. It was easy for Veronica to convince him and Betty to the boyfriend cover story. Of course she'd thought Archie was single when she asked him. Jughead had started laughing. Ronnie looked somewhere between insulted and disappointed until they told her the truth.

Archie's head flew to the side as Nick's goon punched him. He groaned through the gag.  
"You pass out, you get your other arm broken."  
Archie flinched.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ronnie."  
Veronica closed the door behind her, glaring at him.  
"Nick St. Psycho."  
Nick stood up.  
"Now, is that any way to treat the man who has control of your boyfriend?"  
Veronica glared, dropping the bag on the ground. She looked around.  
"Where's Pop Tate?"  
"Outside. Apparently he doesn't like teenagers having sex behind his dumpster."  
Nick reached down to take the duffel.  
"Wait. Where's Archie?"  
"Oh he's somewhere…safe."  
"The money for Archie. That's what you said!"  
Nick smirked, setting the bag on the counter.  
"If it's all there, maybe I'll tell you where he is."  
Veronica grabbed the bag.  
"That wasn't the deal!"  
"Well, I've changed the deal."  
Nick pulled out his phone.  
"One call from me and Archie's dead. Now, I want my money or things are going to get a lot worse for your boyfriend."  
"How do I know you haven't killed him?!"  
Nick withdrew his hand from the bag, tossing the bloody handkerchief on the counter. Veronica gasped.  
"I thought about cutting off his ear or finger or something, but that seemed too cliché. Some fresh blood should do."  
He pulled the bag out of Veronica's grip, opening it and smirking again.  
"Well, you have come through for me Veronica Lodge."  
"You h-have your money. Where's Archie?"  
Her voice shook, tears at the corner of her eyes. But Veronica Lodge kept her gaze hard and her stance defensive. She wasn't going to let her emotions get in the way, not when Archie's life was at stake.  
Nick zipped up the duffel.  
"You think the money will make up for the limp I'm stuck with?"  
"What. Do. You. Want?"  
Nick pretended to think.  
"How about a… date?"  
"What?!"  
"A date, Ronnie. You remember those? Or does Archie not take you on any?"  
He leaned closer, his mouth right next to her ear.  
"You want Archie to live, right?"  
Veronica closed her eyes and nodded.  
"Good choice, Ronnie. I'll text you time and place."  
He patted her shoulder.  
"Don't try to follow me."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Toni leaned against the dumpster, giving her best impression of a put out girlfriend. Sweet Pea was talking to Pop Tate, or, more accurately, getting a lecture from Pop Tate. It's wrong to take your girl behind a dumpster, don't do it by his dumpster because there are windows. Use protection. It was a random assortment of Pop trying to be fatherly and also the owner of the most popular diner in town. 

She watched their mark make his way to his car. They'd already texted the license plate number to Jughead. There were Serpents all along the road the mark his progress. More lay in wait across the Southside, ready to report to their king. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Tall Boy spotted Nick. He followed the car with his eyes until it turned around the block. That street led to the empty warehouses by the edge of town.   
Jug got a three word text from Tall Boy.  
Heading towards warehouses.  
"We've almost got him, Betty. Hold on."  
Betty gave him a quick nod as she paced. Cheryl had tried to get her to sit down several times, but Betty couldn't sit still. Veronica crashed through the door, followed by Sweet Pea and Toni.  
"Where is he? Did they lose him?"  
"Tall Boy just saw him."  
Jughead motioned for the two Serpents to follow him outside.  
"No."  
Betty stopped her pacing.  
"No, Jug. You're taking me with you. I need to be there. Archie needs me."  
"Archie needs you to be safe Betty. If something goes wrong and you get hurt in the crossfire, Archie will never forgive himself, or me. You need to stay here with Ronnie and Cheryl. I'll call you as soon as it's over and he's on his way to the hospital."  
"No- no nononono…"  
Ronnie and Cheryl both wrapped their arms around Betty as she finally gave up trying to hold herself together.


	5. Chapter 5

"I hope you behaved, Archie."  
Archie flinched at the voice coming from behind him. Nick came into view with his usual smirk. He dropped a duffel bag with a thud, reaching down to open it.  
"It seems you really are worth a million dollars to Ronnie."  
Archie followed his every move as he made his way back to the table. His hand hovered over a few different objects.  
"Too bad money isn't enough."  
He picked up the bat.  
"You know, Ronnie agreed to go on a date with me, just to get you back. I might have to keep you around longer than I thought. After all, having Hiram Lodge's daughter under my thumb could prove very useful."  
Archie squeezed his eyes shut as Nick circled him.  
"You mean a lot to her, more than I thought. A country bumpkin over me? She really has lost her tastes."  
The bat came down against the back of his already broken leg. Archie's scream was nearly silent through the gag. He tried to catch his breath as Nick circled him again.  
"Now, don't pass out on me. The night's still young, and we haven't even used the taser yet."  
"We won't need it for you."  
Nick swung around too late. The Serpents had him and his men pinned to the ground before he even had time to swear. Jughead and Toni went to either side of Archie. Toni pulled down the gag as Jughead cut the ropes. He fell into their arms with a moan, both slowly lowering him to the ground.  
"Betty-"  
He practically mouthed, his voice failing him.  
"She's safe, Arch. She's safe."  
Archie sighed in relief.  
"Ronnie?"  
"At my place with Cheryl and Betty."  
Archie let himself go limp in their arms, focusing any strength he had left on breathing.  
"We need to call an ambulance, Jug."  
Jughead nodded to Toni. He looked over to Sweet Pea and Tall Boy.   
"Get him out of here. We'll deal with him ourselves. Leave the lackeys. A little motivation should get them to rat out St. Clair."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Betty almost dropped the phone in her race to answer it.  
"Jug?!"  
"He's on his way to the hospital. We'll meet you there. I've got to call Mr. Andrews. And tell Cheryl we got her money back."  
He hung up and Betty pulled Ronnie and Cheryl off the couch and out the door.  
"What happened?"  
"Hospital."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Archie woke to someone gently carding through his hair. He blinked in the bright light. There was a small gasp beside him and he suddenly had blonde hair in his face.  
"Archie."  
Betty cried into his chest. Archie used his good arm to hug her.  
"It's okay. I'm okay."  
He whispered hoarsely, kissing her forehead. It took a few minutes before Betty looked up.  
"I love you Archie. I love you."  
"I love you too."  
She moved to sit up on the side of the bed, her fingers running soothingly through his hair again. Archie leaned into her hand.  
"Wh-where's m'dad?"  
He coughed a bit, his throat nearly raw. Betty got up. Archie tightened his hold on her hand.  
"I'm just getting you water, Arch. No one's been able to get me to leave since you got here. I'm definitely not leaving now that you're awake."  
She brought a cup to his lips, holding it steady as he took a few sips.  
"You're dad's getting coffee and a donut from that café down the street. I had to make him get some real coffee instead of just drinking that brown sludge they serve here."  
Archie smiled.  
"We're going to be ok, Betts."  
She set the cup down and cradled his face with her hands, trying not to touch any of the major bruises.  
"I know."


End file.
